Those darn digital camera "zoom errors"!

I've had my Fuji E550 digital camera back to the shop twice for a stuck-open lens "zoom error". It's still under warranty, but you have to pay for shipping to Fuji. It took two weeks the first time, and four weeks the second time to get it back. I've seen a few posts that suggest "grabbing the lens, pulling it out and twisting it clockwise until it 'clicks'"... but I've never had the nerve to try it (and if it's still under warranty, I'd recommend sending it back to Fuji). I just picked up my reliable film camera from a local repair shop and repair person said the digital point & shoots are very VERY sensitive to taps & bumps. He said if the lens touchs ANYTHING when you power it up, the lens will lock up. He said the lens will lock up even if the front of the camera gets bumped when NOT turned on. Now that I think about it, the 2nd time the lens locked up was when I was going to take a photo of a bird out of my patio door. The lens did touch the patio door glass very slightly when I powered it up... and that was all she wrote ... ''ZOOM ERROR''. I am now so paranoid about turning the camera on I will only do it in the middle of a room when no one else is around and my fingers are behind the camera. Live & learn. If it happens again, the warranty will be expired so I'll have to try the yank and crank method.